Okay, I believe the word is OVERKILL. Everywhere you look it's someone praising or bashing Whitlock's take on Sean Taylor.  So for a little something different:

Shhhhhhhhh.  You have to be able to keep a secret now.  I find myself rooting for the evil ones.  Belicheck and his group of bullies.  Why would I do this?

1. I have Tom Brady on my fantasy football team as well as the Patriots defense and special teams.  Times are good.  VERY GOOD.  I found myself rooting for not just Brady and the D/ST, but for the Patriots team.

2.  I root for all the guys who went to Michigan to have success.  Never in anyone's wildest dreams did they have Tom Brady having this much success in the NFL, but it's fun to watch Brady just prove people wrong time after time.

3. I find myself rooting for success lately.  Don't know what it is, but I'm not rooting against teams I would normally despise.  Maybe it's an appreciation that Tom Brady could throw 50 touchdowns this season.  It's admiring the fact the Patriots could go 19-0.

I was on the "Belicheat" bandwagon like everyone else earlier this year.  Then I asked myslef, " Why are you watching the Patriots play if you're not enjoying the game?"  It is just a game, someone wins, someone loses. It's not the end of the world if the Pats shred the NFL apart, it's actually a little fun knowing they can kick #### and take names. Who wouldn't want their team to be able to do that? It takes a lot of misguided energy to ridicule the success of a football team.  And a lot of jealousy also.

Which brings me to another point- Why can't anyone appreciate greatness?  Why is it we all have to bash the coach, rip on the owner, or wish injuries on players?  What have they ever done to us?  IT'S JUST A GAME!!!!!!!!! 

So if the Pats beat  my boy Peyton and the Colts in the playoffs, there will be no rooting against them.  I want to see history.  I want to see the Pats run the table.  I want to see Brady and Belicheck win their 4th Super Bowl ring, further cementing their legacies.  Sure, there will be numerous posts praising the Patriots, but as they say, "To the victors go the spoils".

Were all the preseason prophecies from the members of the Detroit Lions correct?  Could they win 10 games?  Could they be one of the better teams in the NFL?

I know what you're thinking, "Dude, they're the Lions".  These are not the same Detroit Lions though.  Rod Marinelli has this squad headed in a different direction.  Case in point:  The Lions were up 17-0 against the Raiders.  The Raiders come back to take a 21-20 lead later in the game.

We've seen this before.  A promising Lions game, ( or season for that matter) looks halfway decent and then the walls cave in.  The Lions were on the road in an "interesting" Black Hole.  How much do you want to bet that previous Lions teams would have turned the ball over the next possession and that would have been the game?  Trust me, I've seen it happen too many times to count.

What this Lions team did was drive the ball down the field, score the go-ahead touchdown, have their defense come up huge and win a road game.  Let me repeat that:  The Lions won a road game.

Now you're saying: " Against the Raiders?  They're not exactly world-beaters."  Very true, but the Raiders had one of the better defenses in the league last year.  Either the Raiders really took a step back on defense or the Lions offense is the real deal.  Kitna has Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey, Shaun McDonald and Tatum Bell to choose from and he used them all last Sunday.

Trust me, as a Lions fan, we take one game at a time.  Okay, we take one play at a time.  Any level-headed Lions fan would proceed with extreme caution here.  You cannot emphasize enough though how Marinelli has weeded out the guys who just don't care.  Past Lions teams the last couple years would be joking around and not care when losing a game.  Marinelli has his type of guys on the sidelines now, like defenive end Dewayne White who was a beast in his first Lions game last Sunday.

The attitude around this team has changed, you can see it.  The offense could be a serious force if things continue to develop.  The defense needs the front four to play up to their potential and needs the no name secondary to do their jobs. 

We've all seen NFL teams go 3-13 one year and then go 13-3 the next year.  The Lions schedule is not the toughest.  The NFL kind of ticked off the Lions when they put their last regular season game in Green Bay this year.  If that is Favre's last regular season home game, the NFL wants him to go out a winner.  Who better to play than the Lions, right?  Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

The Lions have a chance Sunday to improve their record to 2-0 against Minnesota.  The Lions offense against the Vikings defense could be a draw.  So the game comes down to a Vikings offense led by Tavaris Jackson and Adrian Peterson versus a Lions defense led by Shaun Rogers.  The Lions defense made some plays last week, the Vikings offense really didn't.  Just stack the box and make Tavaris Jackson beat you.  I think the Lions have the edge in their home opener 27-16. 

Their is reason for optimism in Detroit.  The attitudes have changed with the players, and the fans have some genuine reason to be excited.  Do they win 10 games?  Like I said, the schedule isn't too difficult, but the 3 wins last year should be at least doubled.  We've all seen one Mike Martz offense come out of nowhere and take the NFL by storm, it could happen again.  So, I'm not proclaiming the Lions a playoff team or the next Super Bowl champion.  I will tell you though that there is a different mindset with this team, a winning one.

So I heard the other day that Lions quarterback Jon Kitna stated he believed the Lions would win 10 PLUS games this year.  He did not specify, but rumors are he was talking about the DETROIT LIONS.  Very sad.  The same Lions team that won 3 games last year.  The same Lions team that, quite frankly- ARE THE DETROIT LIONS!

Kitna is not the only member of the Lions to make such bold, if not head-scratching statements.  Wide reciever Roy Williams proclaimed last year during the season the Lions would average 40 points a game.  He was wrong, almost to a hysterical point.

Now neither Kitna or Williams are scrubs.  Kitna threw for over 4,000 yards last year and Williams is quickly becoming a big-time #1  reciever.   Both guys have skills, but why do you say such things when you went 3-13 last year?  The Lions will have to have everything go right to win ten games.   And Kitna thinks they will win 10 PLUS! 

It's nice to see both guys are confident in their team.   Maybe the Lions will be a repeat of the Rams under a Mike Martz offense.  Maybe they will come out of nowhere and shock the world. 

Being a Lions fan, I'll consider an 8-8 record outstanding for these guys.  THERE IS NO WAY THEY WIN 10 PLUS GAMES.  Sorry, not going to happen.  Have you not seen the defense?  Yikes.  They lost Dre Bly and the remaining defense leaves a lot to be desired.

I'm always optimistic when it comes to the Lions, but when guys like Kitna and Williams just spew stuff from their mouth like this, it makes us an even bigger joke.  One that isn't funny and is getting real old.  You would think these guys are sick of being the butt of jokes, but then they make it so easy when they say stuff like this.

P.S.  Anyone else catch the "Fire Millen" sign at a Colorado Rockies game the other day?  You know it's bad when fans 2,000 miles and watching a different sport  feel bad for your team. 

You can tell me, it's okay.  I'm laughing with you, not at you.  Unless.....................

You picked the Carolina Panthers to beat the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XLI before last season started.  How did that turn out for ya?

You also said the Colts couldn't stop the Chiefs, they weren't as tough as the Ravens, they certainly wouldn't beat the Patriots in the playoffs and sexy Rexy was going to make sure Peyton never won the big game.  If you're keeping score, you might want to stop.  You're losing.  ( In case you forgot, I like to throw in the fact the Colts DID win the Super Bowl )

What is it with predictions?  Why do we all feel the need to proclaim our "superior knowledge" to each other?

" Jeff Gordon?  He's been done for years, he's not a threat anymore."  Wrong.

" USC won't be the same without Reggie, Matt, LenDale, etc, etc, "  Wrong.

" The East would never beat the West when it counts."  Last 3 NBA Champions East: 2 West: 1  Wrong.

Now I too have fallen into this prediction problem.  Which one is worse, predicting Michigan was going to beat USC or predicting Ohio State would beat Florida?  Not my best work.

So why do we do this?  Are we all a bunch of know-it-alls?  Obviously we like to think we are, but with statements like " Florida couldn't possibly win back to back basketball national championships" or " Tony Romo is the next ( insert any Hall of Fame QB name here)" , why do we continue to predict what will happen next?  Why don't we learn?

So what's next?  There are already countless NBA Finals predictions, ( I guess someone will be right), and you know the NFL and college football prediction posts will be here in no time.  Wait, they're already here!

Is it because we just need topics to discuss?  Or do we all just need to prove we know more than the next person? 

( BTW.............I predict the first person to comment on this will be Steeler..........................at let's say 5:27 p.m....................I also predict I am going to go get Subway......................after I watch P.T.I...................I'll stop before this goes any further ) 

As I'm preparing to go pre-party for the Red Wings game ( yes we start very early ), I began to think how much skill it actually takes to play hockey.

#1 You have to be able to skate.  I can manage, but no where near what the guys who play professionally can do.  And I don't quite have their speed either.

#2 You have to be able to manage the puck.  A lot easier said than done.  Try passing or recieving a puck while Chris Pronger is eyeing YOU.

These are just 2 reasons ( hand-eye coordination being another obvious one) I believe hockey takes the most skill of any sport.  Think about it before you respond.  What sport takes more skill to play? 

Basketball?  No.  Most of us can run and shoot.  Talent levels are different, but you don't need extreme athleticism to even play in the NBA.  I'm not going to name any names, you know who they are.

Baseball?  It's widely agreed upon that the hardest thing to do in sports is to hit a baseball.  Okay, but how much skill does that take?  If you have good enough timing, you will be able to hit the ball with some consistency. 

Football?  These guys are so specialized now that i####uy possesses multiple skills ( Reggie Bush), he's expected to be the next great player.  The majority of NFL players play one side of the ball and don't don't even play 3 straight plays.

Golf?  I find it an accomplishment when I actually hit the ball.  I'm not very good.  There are many different aspects to the game, but can you honestly say golf takes more skill to play than hockey? 

NASCAR?  This actually comes second in my book.  If you think it's just driving, here's an idea.  Go to a local track sometime and race in a junk car race or something where they let you drive on an actual track against other drivers.  You will be stunned how  critical concentration, attention to detail and awareness racing a car takes.  It's not just driving around in circles, ( okay technically it is), racing any type of professional league is difficult and highly competitive. 

Okay, you can disagree, go for it.  I just wanted to make you think how difficult each sport is to play, especially hockey. Feel free to name any sport I didn't, or give me a list of which sport you think takes the most skill.

Go Wings!

Didn't take long for that to get put up.

According to many people in the dome, the loudest it's ever been inside of that stadium was during the Super Bowl victory celebration.

We bleed blue!

Where is the ####?  Oh yeah,  he's moved on.

The one and only Bob Sanders.

It's 9 degrees out in this picture.  So whose fans are fairweather fans again?

Monument Circle downtown Indy.  The center of the city and Colts pride.

Pictures courtesy of indystar.com

Ok, I know this is a little late.  I've been going on no sleep the last couple days and trying to buy Colts Super Bowl Champions gear anywhere I find it.  Just some thoughts on this amazing run for the Colts.

1. Super Bowl XLI was the third most watched television show EVER!  It was only beaten by the MASH finale and Super Bowl XXX.  Looks like a lot of people were interested in the Midwest Super Bowl.

2. The odds of Indianapolis getting their bid for the Super Bowl in 2011 just increased.  Not because the Colts won the Super Bowl either.  National media in Miami was complaining about the traffic and how everything is so spread out.  And we all know no one was happy with the rain on Sunday.  Indianapolis will have a brand new dome stadium in 2008 and the city has experience in hosting NCAA Final Fours along with the all the events held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

3. CBS should be banned from covering the Super Bowl.  Do I need to explain this one?

4. We all know the Super Bowl champs get to open the following season on Thursday night at home as the kickoff to the regular season.  Any guesses as to who the Colts will be playing?  I say probably the Giants or Patriots.

5.  Even as a Colts fan I say enough.  Advertisers are saying Peyton's commercials and endorsements are at least going to double, probably triple what they are now.  I can only imagine what the Peyton haters think of this.

6. I hope every fan gets to enjoy their team winning a championship, it's a remarkable feeling.

7. Time to switch gears.  I haven't been paying much attention to college basketball, the NBA, NHL or any other sports because of  the Colts success.  Oh yeah, Daytona is fast approaching also.  Maybe I can pull my attention away from the Colts for a couple months.  Or maybe not.  When is the NFL draft again?   

Growing up as a Lions fan in southwest Michigan, times were rough.  Actually the Barry Sanders days look like the good old days now. When a Lions game wasn't going good, I would check in on the other network to see who is playing.  Because of where I lived, the alternative most of the times was the Colts.

I really started to be a Colts fan during the 1995 season.  Jim Harbaugh's last second hailmary pass to Aaron Bailey in the 1995 AFC Championship game. I thought he caught it, as did the announcer. The fact is he didn't catch it.   The next year the Colts get clobbered in the AFC wildcard game to Pittsburgh 42-14.  Then consecutive 3-13 seasons.  But this allowed for a franchise changing player to be drafted with the #1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. I think you know who that is.  It's not Ryan Leaf thankfully, it's Peyton Manning.

Following this pick and other great picks in following drafts, the Colts begin to become an established team.  They lose in a AFC 2003 wild card game 41-0 to the Jets.  They must have learned from this because the next season they have playoff success.  The Colts beat Denver 41-10 in a AFC wild card game, then beat Kansas City 38-31 in a AFC Divisional Playoff game.  In the AFC Championship however they come up short to New England 24-14.

Following the 2004 regular season, another playoff victory over Denver in a AFC wild card game leads to another loss to the Patriots 20-3.  Now the heat is being turned up on the Colts.  They can't win the big games.  They are only a great regular season team.  These statements get louder after the Colts dominate the 2005 regular season only to lose to Pittsburgh 21-18 in a AFC Divisional playoff.  Then to top it all off, Edgerrin James leaves in free agency to Arizona.

This season the Colts have another great regular season, but seem to be vulnerable going into the playoffs. They were historically bad in stopping the run.  They had to listen to all the talk of their past playoff performances.  Admit it, you said the Colts would lose to the Chiefs as Larry Johnson ran for 150-200 yards.  This win by the Colts didn't impress you.  You said Baltimore had too tough of a defense, and the Colts would fold on the road.

Maybe after that win, you start to believe in the Colts.  YEAH, RIGHT!  You said the Colts would lose to their nemesis New England.  You were patting yourself on the back when New England went up 21-3.  We all watched one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history.  And wouldn't you know it, the Colts finally beat New England in the playoffs 38-34.

Two relatively new sayings were born during the Colts Super Bowl run.  One popular saying around Indy is "get er dungy".  I like that one.  I like this one better.  "It's our time".  As you can see the Colts have had their playoff failures in the past.  This year in the playoffs they won the games they would have lost in past years. 

Obviously I'm going to pick the Colts to win.  I say 28-17.  If you want stats, I'll give you a couple.  The #1 seed in the NFC lost the Super Bowl to the #6 seed in the AFC.  This year it's the #1 seed in the NFC going against the #3 seed in the AFC.  The AFC is clearly the better conference.  Quick who is the last NFC team to win the Super Bowl?  You had to think didn't you?  Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII.  The AFC has won 7 of the last 9 Super Bowls. 

Another argument I've been making for the Colts is recent victories over their oppenent in each matchup.  They had that going against the Chiefs, Ravens and now three in a row over New England.  The Colts went into Soldier Field in the 2004 regular season and won 41-10.  It's true that Brian Urlacher missed that game and that players have changed.  The Colts still went into the Bears stadium and lit them up.  The Colts are favored for a reason in this game.  If both teams play their best in all aspects of the game, the Colts will win.  Since that rarely happen though, anything can happen.  As you can see though, it's our time.

Who ya got, Colts or Bears?  Let me know

This isn't going to be inside information or anything spectacular on this edition.  Honestly, I'm still trying to recover from this weekend. Just some random thoughts on  a great run to the Super Bowl for the Indianapolis Colts.     1 more boys!

What happened to the Chiefs beating the Colts?

The Patriots are not sore losers.  Every team has upset players and coaches when their season ends, your team would not have acted any differently than the Patriots did.

Out of the group I was with this weekend, none of us had problems with ANY Patriots fans.  Patriot fans actually waited outside the dome and said things like "good game", "you guys deserved it"  "hope you beat the Bears".  In my opinion the best opposing team fans that have been to Indy in a long time.

I know I'm a homer, but how great of a comeback was that?  I know it was a conference championship game record, but is it really one of the best playoff games ever?

The consesus words spoken in the city when Reggie Wayne fumbled the ball in the air was......well just guess.  Holy ####!

Some idiots actually left the game went it was 21-3.  Way to support your team.  You paid how much for a ticket, and then you leave before halftime?  Morons

Patriots fans must have lost it when Vinatieri and Manning hugged after the game.

The RCA Dome is a HUGE advantage for the Colts.  Let's just say it's not a state of the art facility.  The new stadium will be ready in 2008.  They might actually put air-conditioning in that one!

The Colts went undefeated at home this year.

In case you were wondering ,Remington, Indiana is the consensus as the halfway point between Indianapolis and Chicago.  (The battle of I-65 it's being dubbed as already)

Scariest words I saw today: Peyton to have x-ray on thumb.  Just precautionary though.

IF the Colts win the Super Bowl, will they put the statue of Peyton out now or when he retires? ( We all know they already have one made for him)

For anyone that's annoyed by how many commercials Peyton has now, you better hope he doesn't win the Super Bowl. 

Dan Klecko leads the Colts recievers in playoff recieving touchdowns with 2

Dwight Freeney better resign with the Colts.

The Colts are on this run without Corey Simon, Brandon Stokley and Mike Doss all starters

There is no way the Colts will win the bid for the 2011 Super Bowl.  They are contemplating going up against the Cowboys new stadium and the Saints.  No chance

Colts had edge over Chiefs, Ravens, Patiots in recent meetings before playoff matchups.  For what it's worth they beat the Bears 41-10 in Chicago in 2004.

The Colts might get more press locally than the Indy 500 ever will.

Does anyone have a logical reasoning as to why we have to wait 2 weeks to the Super Bowl? One of the dumber things the NFL does.

Who do you feel happier for?  Dungy or Manning?

Poor Edgerrin James

Who has the best hands of all the Colts recievers?  I would have to go with Dallas Clark

Told you I'm still in recovery mode. That wasn't really detailed, but I have 2 weeks to recover and go crazy again Super Bowl weekend. Those were just some Colts thoughts, feel free to share yours.    

They were right!  The NFL does favor the New England Patriots! How unfair!

"The only reason New England beat San Diego is because the NFL loves golden boy Tom Brady." "Bill Belicheck cheats"  "The Patriot fans and players shouldn't have celebrated and mocked the Chargers"  Stupid, stupid stupid.  Why don't people look up past history when discussing favoritism towards a certain team or player? 

Looking at my sports calender today, I noticed tomorrow is an anniversary of sorts in the NFL.  January 19, 2002.  What happened that day?  Don't cheat, try to remember.  Really, keep thinking.  Give up yet?

Patriots 16, Raiders 13 Overtime  AFC Divisional Playoffs.  Why is that significant?  You don't know NFL Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2, Note 2 by heart?  And you call yourself an NFL fan? 

Now you remember!  The tuck rule.  Introduced in 1999 it states that if the quarterback moved his hand forward, in any sort of throwing motion and dropped the ball, it was not a fumble.

So Tom Brady drops back to pass, and gets rocked when Charles Woodson hits him from his blindside.  The Raiders recover the ball with a 3 point lead with less than 2 minutes to go in the game.  HOWEVER, referee Walt Coleman said that the tuck rule applied in this situation.  Coleman goes on to say because Brady had started to move his arm forward and had not tucked the ball under his arm like a running back, that the tuck rule would be enforced. 

I don't know about you, but I hated that rule then, and I hate it now.  The defense makes a play, but we all know the NFL wants points scored.  This rule is just one example of the NFL wanting to promote offense, not defense. 

Happy anniversary New England!  Sorry Raider fans, the NFL hates you.  OK the NFL hates Al Davis, not you. 

I don't believe in conspiracy theories or favoritism.  This was just another avenue for disgruntled fans and Patriot haters to say "we told you so".  Sorry for the aftermath this may create.  PS GO COLTS!!!!!

What an interesting final four teams left in the NFL playoffs.  Normally this time of year, I clearly have one team I don't want to win it all still left to root against.  This year I have my favorites, but for me at least, I'm not going to be upset in anyway if any of the remaining four teams wins it all.  I know everyone has favorites and other teams they can't stand.  I'll give you some reasons to root for every team, you tell me why you can't root for that certain  team.

#1 Indianapolis Colts  - You have to root for Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy.  Well, at least I do.  It would be great to see Peyton finally win a big game and win the Super Bowl.  Tony Dungy came so close when he was with the Bucs, and the year after he gets fired, they win the Super Bowl.  The Colts have been to the AFC Championship game twice before and lost.   To put it mildly, Indianapolis schools and businesses aren't exactly focused right now.  Colts this, Colts that.  It's everywhere.  The city won't be able to hold it all in until Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts have never been to the Super Bowl.  So how do you root against the Colts?

#2 New Orleans Saints-  I am a Lions fan #1.  (Save the jokes)  I have a soft spot for a team like the Saints.  They have always been a punchline around the NFL. They never have had sustained success in the NFL. They never have even reached the Super Bowl.  Plus everything that the city and franchise has gone through, makes them a feel good story.  Don't you have fun watching Drew, Reggie, Deuce and all the other guys bring joy to those fans? So how do you root against the Saints?

#3 New England Patriots- Isn't everybody else sick of the "me" concept in sports?  Well, here is the alternative to that.  The team concept.  Aren't you still amazed this team could win it's fourth Super Bowl in six years?  They aren't flashy, they don't bicker and complain, they just win.  No matter how many players they lose, they just keep on winning.  Great front office and coaches to keep that team focusd year in and year out. Sure everyone might get sick of the same team winning championships all the time.  What other reasons can you give to root against the Patriots.

#4 Chicago Bears- Da Bears. One thing people in that city unite around is the Bears.  Cubs fans and White Sox fans who wouldn't be caught seen together,  can come together to cheer on the Bears.  There is just something right about the Bears playing football in January in Chicago.  Makes you think of "the good old days".  This is one of the longest tenured franchises in the NFL with loyal and dependable fans.  Who wouldn't want to see much maligned Rex Grossman win a Super Bowl?  He could prove everyone wrong.  So unless you're a Packer fan, how do you root against the Bears?

So who are you rooting against?

As designated Colts connoiseur ( given to me by Papipoul) I must give my take on the matchup tomorrow between the Colts and Ravens.  5 reasons the Colts win Saturday.

#1 Wait?  You have got to be kidding me!  We took your team from you in 1984?  Oh, I totally agree with you, never move a franchise.  It is wrong, you don't have to convince me of that.  You still feel outrage towards our city and fans?  Totally understandable.  You....hold on.  Yeah, I have Cleveland on the other line, something about you claiming their championship in the Super Bowl?  I'll let you handle this one.  ( Just because your team moved to our city 23, yes 23 years ago, we don't owe you anything!)  After Colts victory I nominate Booger McFarland to give all Ravens fans wedgies. Just to add more insult to injury.  Hey, if nothing else you can say a guy nicknamed Booger gave you a wedgie.  That has to be worth something, right?

#2 O.K.  Back to analysis.  Historically speaking, Colts have edge over Ravens.  The Colts have won the last 3 matchups between these teams.  Yes, players have changed since the last matchup in September 2005 ( Colts 24-7 win in Baltimore).  I used this last week saying Colts owned Chiefs as of late, I'll go with this as long as I can.

#3 Dwight Freeney owns Jonathan Ogden.  See Ty Law against Peyton Manning.  If my memory serves right, it was the last matchup between Colts and Ravens in which Ogden was schooled by Freeney.  Don't get me wrong, Ogden is an All-Pro tackle.  He just can't contain the speed of Freeney.  Ravens will probably need to keep Todd Heap on the line more to help out against Freeney.  Also, Freeney was back to himself last week.  Beware

#4 Intimidating? I'm totally aware the Colts have lost on the road in the playoffs before.  Those losses basically were against New England in frigid Massachusetts.  The forecast for tomorrow in Baltimore is mid 50's with maybe potential rain.  So, the Colts won't lose because they're on the road, they will win because they have won in that stadium before.  It's not the mental hurdle of going to play the Patriots when it's cold and crappy outside.  Good try though.

#5 Peyton Manning will have a great game.  I say 278 passing yards with 2 touchdowns.  Now that my friends is what you call going out on a limb.  Obviously Peyton has struggled in the playoffs previously.  Last week Peyton was horrible, but the Colts still won the game.  Peyton is due to lead his team to a playoff victory, and I have a hunch he will be a main reason they go to the AFC Championship game.

There you have it.  I did pretty good last week with my 5 reasons the Colts would beat the Chiefs. So maybe I'm feeling over confident.  Oh well.  You got to say what you believe.  I say Colts 20 Ravens 17.  Ravens last drive ends when Freeney sacks McNair, and McNair's fumble is recovered by Booger McFarland. 

Feel free to insult, agree, disagree or comment.  Remember, respect the crane kick.

#5 Ummmmm, I live 10 minutes away from the RCA dome.  Call it peer pressure, loyalty, being a homer or whatever you want to say.  Stick with your teams!

#4 Bob Sanders will be playing.  I know not just one guy can solve the problems they have on defense.  Sanders missed the majority of the season, and is a difference maker.

#3 The facts Yes, I know the Colts allowed at least a 100 yard rusher in each game this year, something which had not happened in the NFL since 1984.  Yes, they are dead last in stopping the run.  How about this statistic, the Colts are 8-0 at home this season. I'm aware they lost last year in the dome in the playoffs against Pittsburgh. the fact the Chiefs are 0-3 at the RCA Dome all time. One last fact, the Colts went into Arrowhead and beat the Chiefs in the playoffs in 2003.  ( Yes, I left out some facts that were negative against the Colts, but I'm trying to convince you the Colts will win.  Work with me here.)

#2 Defense?  I don't expect this to be a defensive struggle by any means.  We all know the Colts defense is plain bad.  I'm not too sure I would take the Chiefs defense either. The last 2 times they have faced the Colts they gave up 35 and 38 points.  I will say they are improved from those matchups a few years ago, but the Colts offense will be lethal today.

#1 The Colts played their number one players the entire season this year.  They didn't have the luxury of resting their players this year, like last year.  I still believe that if they didn't have the distractions and time off last year, they would have played better against the Steelers.  It hurt them to have guys take a month off to rest, and then expect those guys to play at the high level they were at before they were given time off.  It took the offense 3 quarters to wake up against Pittsburgh, and by that point it was too late.

Prediction Colts 24 Chiefs 17    For some reason, I don't see an old fashioned shootout.  There will probably be missed opportunities for each team. 

All right, time to go hang out with the fellow Colts fans downtown.  I'll be back later to either claim my title as connoiseur of the Colts ( given to me by the all knowing Papipoul),or I will come eat my crow.   GO COLTS!!!!!!!!